Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt
The Saïte or
Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt was the last native dynasty to rule
Egypt before the
Persian conquest, and had its capital at
Sais. It is often considered part of the
Late Period.
This dynasty traced its origins to the
Twenty-Fourth Dynasty.
Psammetichus I was the great-grandson of
Bakenrenef, and following the
Assyrians invasions during the reigns of
Taharqa and
Tantamani, he was recognized as sole king over all of Egypt. While the Assyrian Empire was preoccupied with revolts and civil war over control of the throne, Psammetichus threw off his ties to the Assyrians, and formed alliances with
Gyges, king of
Lydia, and recruited mercenaries from
Caria and
Greece to resist Assyrian attacks.
With the sack of
Nineveh in
612 BC and the fall of the Assyrian Empire, both Psammetichus and his successors attempted to reassert Egyptian power in the Near East, but were driven back by the
Babylonians under
Nebuchadrezzar II. With the help of Greek mercenaries,
Apries was able to hold back Babylonian attempts to conquer Egypt, but it was the Persians who conquered Egypt, and their king
Cambyses II carried
Psammetichus III to
Susa in chains.
Sextus Julius Africanus states in his often accurate version of
Manetho's Epitome that this dynasty was comprised of a total of 9 kings beginning with a Stephinates (Tefnakht II) and ending with Psammetichus III. Africanus also correctly notes that Psammetichus I and Necho I ruled Egypt for 54 and 8 years respectively.
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Twenty-sixth Dynasty Timeline*
History of Ancient Egypt
